Not So Fast, Not So Furious: This Action Star is Now a Doting Dad (EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS)

The Fast and the Furious star Matt Schulze is a proud new papa, Celebuzz can exclusively reveal.

Schulze and his girlfriend welcomed their first child together, son Hendrix, on November 27, 2012 — and the actor is relishing his new role.

“I love being a dad. I’m the happiest father on the planet, ” Schulze told us. “Hendrix is an angel.”

The actor, who’s also starred in box office hits like The Transporter and Blade II, says the newest addition to the family came at the perfect times in his life, both personally and professionally.

“I live on a tremendous plot of land in Malibu, with a creek and bridge in my backyard and huge oak trees reaching across the sky,” he said. “I could not have asked for a better place or time in my life to raise a family.”

And it seems timing has been everything during this milestone year: Hendrix was even born on the same day as the man who inspired his name.

“I always dreamed that if I had a son I would name him Hendrix, because only the people closest to me know how much I truly love Jimi Hendrix,” Schulze said. “And not only did I have a son, but he was born on Jimi’s birthday, so it was more than a sign that he was a gift and a welcomed change in my life.”

The new father has even been able to pick up a few parenting pointers from his on-set brushes with other celeb dads, including another hunky actor who’s also been known to flex his muscle on screen.

“I had spent some time crossing paths with Chris Hemsworth,” said Schulze, who co-starred in Fast 5 with Hemsworth’s wife Elsa Pataky.“So when he had his daughter [India], I watched the way he was with her, and I was beyond impressed with how much love and attention he gave her.

“Chris is a great guy, and I wanted to make sure my son would get that from me at all times — my heart and soul.”

And a new baby has also meant new career goals for the 40-year-old. After rocking it in action flicks, Schulze has decided to take his acting in a new direction. Right now, he says he’s considering a few on- and off-Broadway theater roles and finalizing a script for a television series based on the Battle of Gettysburg.

“I’ll be returning to acting this year, and my next project will be different than anything I have done in the past,” he said. “This is a new phase in my life — full of new beginnings and new roles.”

Click through our gallery to see exclusive photos of Matt and baby Hendrix — and more. Then send your congratulations to Matt and his girlfriend in the comments section.

Celebuzz Single Player No Autoplay (CORE)
No changes are to be made to this player